


She Cries Your Name

by blackeyedgurl



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Anger, F/M, Innuendo, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 01:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2563205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackeyedgurl/pseuds/blackeyedgurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Falls during Colonial Day/Kobol's Last Gleaming. What happened during that triad game that brought Lee to the hangar deck to confront Kara over her indiscretion? This is a bit of filling in the blanks.</p>
<p>Teaser:  He wouldn’t reveal his hand; he wouldn’t show him that there was no truth in this. Lee would play the good doctor’s game, even if it was tearing him apart inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Cries Your Name

Dee and Gaeta had to go work their shift in the CIC, and so they bowed out of the triad game with a few cubits and their pride intact. The same could not be said for Crashdown who’d limped away from the table a half an hour ago. He’d lost all his cubits, his last bottle of ambrosia and his pride, leaving the table to just Gaius, Lee and the pink elephant in the room.

Lee didn’t like the new Vice President, he didn’t like him when he was just Dr. Baltar Cylon Expert At Large, and he sure as shit didn’t like him any more now. He still couldn’t think of him as the Vice President, and would probably never have an easy time of that. Gaius Baltar wasn’t a leader of men; he was barely the leader of test tubes. From what Lee could tell the man lacked a spine, all he had working for him was a big brain and an even bigger mouth. His position within the government was acquired purely by luck and a few well placed words to the press. Lee would have liked to land a few well placed punches to his head.

Throughout the game Baltar had made more than a few suggestive comments about a particular lieutenant. It riled Lee up, made his mind spin, failed his concentration causing him to reveal enough tells to put the doctor at an advantage. He was down more than he would have been to any other player, well, any other player who wasn’t a certain lieutenant.

“So Captain Adama, are you in or out? You’d better ante up.” Baltar’s accent, his manners, everything about him rubbed Lee the wrong way. Everything about him seemed to be pretense. It was an act; one that he had carried on so long it was almost second nature. Almost.

“I’m in.” He tossed a cubit on the pile. When the game was down to two players, it really did lose its thrill. At that point it was just something to fill the space between two people, something to fill the void in conversation, something besides the thick tension hanging between them.

“You know you can’t beat me, right? I always win. I’m a winner.” He pointed at his own chest, and almost revealed his hand with the other. Gaius had reached the point of being drunk an hour ago, and he now had crashed over to the side of drunk and belligerent.

“Sure, but at some point you’ll be drunk enough that I can take advantage of you.”

Gaius snorted indignantly, “Not likely.”

They continued playing. Lee lost that hand, but poured the good doctor another drink.

“So, I’ve always wondered, what exactly are you a doctor of? Rumor has it with your exploits you might as well be a gynecologist.” Lee chuckled, the doctor was a notorious man-whore.

“Funny, you know I’ve never taken you for the funny type. You Adamas seem to have your heads planted firmly up your backsides.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I’ve got a PHD in something with a big name.”

“Impressive.” He replied sarcastically. Lee dealt the cards, finally getting a good hand. He swore that he wouldn’t give himself away this time.

“So Captain, handsome man like y’self, I’m sure you got a bit of tail last night.” Baltar’s accent was starting to slip and Lee could hear a slight hint of Aerilon. Lee’s suspicions of the origins of one Gaius Baltar were seemingly not unfounded. Granted, not too far back his family went by Adams and tried to renounce their Tauron origin. He could understand how someone would move to Caprica and try to make a whole new life for them selves. His grandfather Joe had done it, and Lee had enjoyed the stories when he was a child. Only his grandfather wasn’t an arrogant prick who thought the world revolved around his short skinny ass.

“I’m a gentleman, I prefer not to kiss and tell.”

“Who said anything about kissing? I was talking about a nice frak.” For such a distinguished man, he sure could be crude.

“I don’t frak and tell either.”

“Hmpf, you know you’d be a lot better off if you just opened up a bit.”

“So now you’re a psychologist?”

“Confession’s good for the soul, y’know.”

“And now you’re a Brother?”

“No.” Baltar’s head was wavering, and his hand was as well. The Caprican cigar hanging from his lip looked like it would fall off at any moment. Lee relished the thought of him burning his balls with it. “I am willing to leave things up to the will of the Gods, to let go, lose control, turn my fate over to them on occasion, I think you could do with more of that.”

“I don’t believe in the Gods.” His mother and Zak may have been believers, but this was one of the few traits Lee shared with his father, one of the others being a skill and love of flying. The last related to an unnatural need to care for, protect, and maybe even love his almost sister in law.

“I thought there were no atheists in foxholes, or on Battlestars.”

“There are plenty on this one.”

“Maybe that’s your problem.”

“So now I have problems Doctor Baltar?” Lee couldn’t believe the audacity of him. “What kind of scientist believes in Gods anyways?” Lee scoffed at the thought.

“The kind whose life was saved by chance and the generosity of a random pilot, perhaps someone was looking out for me, protecting me, so I could help this fleet.” The thing about Gaius Baltar was that he actually believed the bullshit coming out of his own mouth; Lee realized that not only made him dangerous, but more than a little insane.

Lee couldn’t help but think of how much he’d rather be sitting at this table with Helo. At least there was nothing fake about him; Helo was the kind of pilot, the kind of man, who was as you saw him. There was no pretense, no cover up, just an honest guy, who loved to fly, drink, play cards, have a good lollipop and an even better woman. Lee wouldn’t trade a man like Helo for a fifty Baltars any day. Hell he wouldn’t trade one, half as competent, ECO for fifty Baltars. A good pilot always had your back; a guy like Baltar was only looking out for his own.

Lee threw in what remained of his pile, “All in.”

“Considering your all in, is nothing for me, I meet it and call.” He matched the coinage added to the pot.

Lee laid his hand on the table, a full reversal. There was no hand that could beat him, so Baltar didn’t even bother to turn his cards.

“Congrats, you finally won something.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Lee was on the defensive, he hated that he always felt this way no matter who he was dealing with. He hated even more that such a fight was being picked while he collected the winnings of the best hand he had all night.

“I mean everyone else gets what you want, so it’s only fitting that once in a while the gods throw you a bone.”

“I have a feeling you’re implying something, but I just can’t quite figure what you mean.” Either Lee had been drinking much more slowly than he thought, or his tolerance was building. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as he wished he was. There was a reason the Galactica was well known throughout the fleet as the bastard step child, all of her pilots were drunks, or louts, or just really shitty pilots. Now he was turning into one of them.

“You know who I’m talking about, lets not dance about it any more,” Gaius’ voice dropped and he revealed that he wasn’t nearly as drunk as he had acted. Maybe the ambrosia had been watered down, if they didn’t stretch it out they’d run out soon. What would they drink then? His eyes bored into Lee’s skull, “but I have a feeling it’s not unconquered territory for you.”

Lee’s mind spun, he knew that Baltar had been talking about Kara all night. Innuendo and suggestion had led Lee to suspect that something had gone on between them the night before. Lee’s last memory of Kara was seeing her dance with the doctor, he turned to order another drink and by the time he turned back around they were gone. He regretted letting her ever take a turn with him. He should have held on to her all night. That was his first thought when he saw her at the bar, that not only should he not let go of her all night, but maybe he shouldn’t let go ever. After all, they were some of the last people in the universe, and if they couldn’t get their shit together now, then they never would.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I have a feeling that last night I had not ventured someplace where you have not been before me.” Baltar tipped his glass to Lee before sipping out of it. Lee wanted to smash the glass into his face.

Lee realized that he was now implying that Lee had been with Kara. There had been one time where that almost happened, the first night they met, but since then, nothing. For two years they barely set foot on the same planet as the other. Either avoidance or lack of interest had kept them apart, but he doubted it was the latter. Last night he would have stolen the stars to be the one to peel her out of that dress, but he also thought that his was a one sided infatuation.

“I don’t know why you’d say that.”

“She cried your name. And I’ve got to say, I’ve been in some pretty frakked up situations, but that was the first time that ever happened.”

Lee snorted incredulously. The madman was clearly frakking with him. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Yes, it was something like ‘moan, moan, Lee, oh Lee’ and about then she opened her eyes, saw me and fled.” His tone was light, jovial even; Gaius was leaning back in his chair, puffing away, continuing to maintain his cocky countenance even in the face of such a humiliation.

Lee had to admit that sounded like her M.O., but he couldn’t quite believe it. “My name? Serisouly?” The surprise in his voice should have given him away. Lee didn’t know whether to be flattered or irritated.

“Would I lie to you?” Lee knew that he would, Gaius Baltar was full of lies, so many he couldn’t tell the truth from them any more.

“I guess some of us, while not winners like you, are a bit more memorable.” He wouldn’t reveal his hand; he wouldn’t show him that there was no truth in this. Lee would play the good doctor’s game, even if it was tearing him apart inside.

“It doesn’t seem like she repeat fraks anyone, so maybe it’s just something she does. I won’t be crawling into a rack with her again anytime soon if that’s the sort of thing she’s going to do. Even though up to that point it was quite a good time.” He smiled and winked at Lee. Lee could feel his stomach turn over. It was one thing to hear such talk from your brother about his future wife, it was far another to have it coming from someone like this.

Lee’s mind was a jumble, he was flashing quickly between confusion (Kara called his name?), excitement (she called his name!), and anger (how dare this asshole continue on and on about her proclivities?) “She is a memorable one though.” Lee could have kicked himself for playing this game this long.

“I had always heard what a wild bunch pilots were, and she surely didn’t disappoint.” Lee couldn’t tell if Baltar was trying to lead him into a trap, or really was this big of an asshole. “I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on another one, maybe the little one, what’s her name? Sharon? I do owe her my life in a way.” The smile that slid over Baltar’s face was smug, Lee wanted to slap it right off of him.

“You might want to watch your mouth, sir. You are talking about the protectors of humanity.” He couldn’t outright defend Kara’s honor, because everyone knew she was borderline slutty, but he could defend the honor of the female pilots under his command.

“Well one of them wasn’t protecting humanity from anything last night. That is unless the cylons have infiltrated my quarters or my pants.” He jeered. His lack of respect for the military was another one of the countless reasons Lee loathed Baltar. It was one thing to ignore the contributions of the military for the years prior to the attack, it was far another to openly mock them while sitting in the pilot’s rec room on a Battlestar.

Lee had enough. His father had told him earlier in the day that he always lost because he never lost control, he never went on instinct. For once he would follow his father’s advice. In a way it pissed him off that he was also following the man seated across from him’s advice as well. Maybe if enough people told him something it made it the truth, or maybe it was enough truth for right now.

He stood up quickly and the chair stuttered behind him in an ear bleeding screech. He reached out and put his winnings in his pocket. Gaius looked slightly shocked, but instead started to laugh. Lee could feel the heat rising in him, and knew that the veins in his neck and forehead were probably starting to rise. He was boiling, but this time he had no intention to contain it, maybe a good scalding was what this man needed.

“What’s so funny?” He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. His jaw was involuntarily flexing with anger, his hands clenching and unclenching.

“You’ve never been with her have you? She fraks half the damn fleet, but never you. She even frakked your brother, but never you.” He slammed his hands down on the table, making the glasses clink and the cubits jump, “It’s just never you is it Captain? Oh, I should have seen this earlier!” A light bulb had gone on in the man’s mind, and Lee was quick to put it out. Lee’s fist made a satisfying crunch as it hit his jaw.

For as much as he talked, the doctor was a wimp. One punch and he was out. Lee was almost sorry that there wasn’t more. He had hoped for the opportunity to do more damage than this.


End file.
